No. 2.] Reprints and Miscellaneous Notes. loi 



hoppers ; the old Crows would alight on the mown land within 8 or 

 10 rods of me, and after catching a hopper or two would fly to their 

 young that were on a fence and there feed them. Of all our birds, 

 the Crow, I think, is the most extensive feeder on grasshoppers 

 (1885). 



West Pawlet. — Frank H. Braymer : It has been observed to 

 feed to a certain extent on the cankerworm, cutworm, various kinds 

 of grasshoppers, and small beetles. Probably the benefit derived 

 from the destruction of insects is considerable (1885). 



Virginia, Birdsnest. — C. R. Moore : Crows follow the plow in 

 the spring and eat many cutworms, and probably other insects, but 

 I only know positively of cutworms (1886). 



Drewrys Bluff. — A. R. Bellwcod : During at least ten months of 

 the year in this part of the country large numbers congregate on the 

 pasture fields, meadows, and plowed land, and remain for hours 

 searching for larvae and insects (i8gi). 



Fork Union. — J. B. Underbill : As to the insect diet of the 

 adult I cannot testify, having never examined the gizzards. The 

 gizzards of two young which were taken from the nest were filled 

 to overflowing with grasshoppers, and each contained one or two 

 kernels of corn (1886). 



Lich Run, — J. G. Paxton : The Crow has been destroyed by 

 poisoning until it is now nearly exterminated, and there is a notice- 

 able increase of insects of every kind. It eats insects more or less, 

 except the Colorado potato beetle (1885). 



VJisconsm, Clinton. — C.N. Crotensburg : I have never known 

 the Crow to refuse any insect except bees, of which it is exceedingly 

 shy. 



ON HAWKS AND OWLS AS ENEMIES TO INSECTS. 



The Report of the Ornithologist, Dr. Hart Merriam of the 

 United States, Department of Agriculture, for the year 1887, contains 

 a most Interesting and suggestive statistical account, by Dr. A. K. 

 Fisher, of the Food of Owls and Hawks. 



The stomachs of 1,072 of these birds were examined, and of 963 

 stomachs that contained food, 528, or nearly 55 per cent,, contained 

 mice, and 255, or nearly 27 per cent., contained insects, chiefly grass- 

 hoppers, locusts, and beetles. 



It frequently happened that from fifty to seventy of these insects 

 would be taken from a single stomach. 



